Non contact sugggests that he might be a few weeks away yet but good that he is progressing.

Couldnt we do that with every single player that we signed? In theory.

No problem, thanks. No I have never seen him or heard of him prior. Total unknown. Ultimately, I dont think any of us know what we are getting. Good age and decent enough pedigree. From abroad too. So I think that adds excitement. It could be a shrewd bargain and a real bit of credit towards the much vaunted European scouting network. Or he could turn to be a crap keeper. Rafael and Samba were sourced from abroad last season, and were very good additionals. Goalkeepers like Sluga, Nyland, Kalinic in the Championship have not been successes. I just hope that Mowbray and his staff have got this one right as we need him to be bang on. I have no idea but I look forward to seeing him and am desperate for him to be good. All goalkeepers make mistakes as you say. The problem for example with Walton was the number of mistakes, he must have made close to 15 mistakes leading to goals. Some of which were blatant, some were a bit more subjective and more poor goalkeeping for shots he could have saved rather than howlers. We need to hope if this lad signs that he makes a low number of mistakes. Raya made a couple of howlers last season but brought the quantity right down which is why now post coaching I think that he has massively improved. I think Rich Sharpe chased it up and seems to think it was agent talk. Be surprised to see if he would move and come onto our bench, he could play at this level but will cost a lot in wages. Not sure if that would in any way exploit a FFP loophole either. The only way to improve goalkeeping coaching is to improve the goalkeeper coach(s). Never a fan of suggestions about experienced players essentially being coaches just on the back of their playing career. That being said, a more experienced number 2 would make sense. Rob Elliot was mentioned again by Rich Sharpe the other day, maybe he would fit the bill, free, cheap, experienced. Needs to be competent because we are taking a small (but worthwhile and calculated) risk in signing a keeper from Belgium. If he doesnt work out we need a competent goalkeeper and not another Leutwiler!

https://www.lancs.live/news/lancashire-news/full-details-released-parts-east-18807647 The areas affected by stricter measures in Blackburn are Audley & Queen’s Park; Bastwell & Daisyfield; Billinge & Beardwood; Blackburn Central; Little Harwood & Whitebirk; Roe Lee; Shear Brow & Corporation Park; and Wensley Fold. The new rules will not apply in the Darwen area of the Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council area, with restrictions lifted completely across Blackburn South & Lower Darwen; Blackburn South East; Darwen East; Darwen South; Darwen West; Ewood; Livesey with Pleasington; Mill Hill & Moorgate; and West Pennine.

Marshall has joined Derby too. Very good signing.

Preston have been under lockdown too and they seem optimistic of allowing fans in from the 17th October. Most areas of Blackburn with Darwen have seen restrictions loosened today.

Last season, September 2019. Grow up chaddy. As much as you, I'd never seen him or even heard of him. As I said to bigdoggsteel, why would it be in my best interests for him to be anything but a good signing? Poster gives example of mistake, therefore poster must be revelling in the hope that a player that plays for the team that he pays money and spends so much time watching I am cautiously optimistic because of his pedigree, his age and the fact that he is going to be a permanent signing. But I am also willing to read and look at anything I can see to give me more information about an unknown player, positive or negative. If we are only allowed to highlight positive things then I suspect that the forum rules need to be amended. But please stick your notions about me wanting to find negatives and revelling in them up your arse. If he signs I would want him to be a great keeper exactly as much as you.

And euphoria is probably a fair description really. We have been eagerly anticipating a goalkeeper since the season finished and have had to suffer a sub par loanee in net all season. The longer that it has gone on, the more that people have anticipated a new number 1. He is a permanent signing, a player who provokes further curiosity because he is from abroad and seems to have a decent pedigree. The excitement is understandable (and I am eager to see him if and when he signs) but also we have to bare in mind that from what I have seen, not a single person in this forum had heard of this player before today and therefore it is probably equally accurate and understandable that we are going over the top in our excitement and positivity with little to base it on at this time. I think that your points @RevidgeBlue are very balanced and well measured and I agree with what you say.

As someone who invests a lot of his time and money into following Rovers, I can confirm that it is not in my best interests if he turns into anything but a successful signing. It is not even a question that ever needs answering. The Enckelman reference was purely tongue in cheek referring back to a similar mistake he once made in the Birmingham derby.

Here he is making a mistake that Peter Enckleman would have been proud of at the end, he will fit right in doing that From that Lancs Live article: After the first match of the season he made a comedy of errors, after which he was benched. He conceded a total of 57 goals last season from a xGC of 51.12.

Waltons unfortunately was goalkeeping.

Everything stemmed from Mowbray saying that he didnt know his budget in numerous interviews around the end of the season. Venkys are always very slow at this time of year, usually demanding that Mowbray flies out to India to speak to them. It puts us at a disadvantage and indeed Mowbray references their other businesses as a reason why he may have not heard from them at all at that point. A budget was always going to materialise eventually. There is no evidence that it is a healthy or unhealthy budget, there could be a spending spree to come, there could be sales. We dont know yet. But Venkys disinterest and how they works means that we lag behind other more functionally run clubs. Lets not pretend that it was unwarranted scaremongering.

Communication from Preston.

Thanks for the stats at such short notice. I would say that 5 of them stats are fairly meaningless comparatively because they play not only for different teams but in different leagues. Gent are a big team in Belgium too. The save percentage is the promising one although I suppose teams may be having shots from further out v a dominant team. I would say that an element of caution should be issued. A lot of understandable excitement I think predominantly based on the wait for any sign of an imminent signing, and a fancy foreign name always seems to evoke a bit more excitement. At least a bit of imagination is shown but obviously he has to be good to back up the scouting network! But none of us know what he is like and can gain minimal conclusion solely from stats. Lets hope if he signs that he turns out to be a bargain. Reports of him making numerous errors and being dropped dont fill me with confidence but I will be interested to see how he turns out if he signs. I presume you mean during the very small proportion of their time in that position in which they WERE contributing regularly, both hitting brief hot spells in League 1 scoring a few goals, then no, because for a SHORT time, that worked. Both of them, especially Armstrong have a skill set far more suited to playing wide. But in 2 years of playing wide, Armstrong frustrated for the majority of that time when in the Championship culminating in a point around a third into last season where basically everyone wanted to see him dropped. When he moved central, he turned into a regular goalscorer! Antonsson most of the time he spent here was really awkward and clumsy out wide, he just had a few games where he hit some form and scored a few goals. But even if I gave you them examples due to performing well wide for a fraction of their time there, they are the exceptions rather than the rules. Them 2 for most of the time out wide, Gallagher, Brereton, Samuel, all unable to play that role. The tactic has not been successful. Other parts of the team have operated well under Mowbray, but almost exclusively in central areas. I still am none the wiser if you agree with playing wide strikers because all you tend to do is repeat that Mowbray plays with them without divulging your own opinion. I have never doubted that Nyambe needs to really improve on his attacking side. But he is good defensively and my main worry is our goals conceded column. We wont find a better RB I dont think at this stage, it is imperative that we do what we can to get him signed up long term. Ultimately the fact that he usually has a "wide striker" in front of him contributing very little puts an over reliance on him to attack, the weaker side of his game anyway. If we had a more natural right sided player, then he could pick and choose his attacking (partially dependant on where the left back was, no need to push them both up) runs. Can understand if Westwood does sit on his contract for another year unless paid equally elsewhere. Coming to the end of his career and that 1.5m that he will earn will do so much for him and his family once his career is over. That being said, as I suggested when I compared it to the Pears rumour, seems like there is nothing to it.

Its probably best to keep him away from injuring anyone as he did last week!

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/12361279/gent-igor-plastun-stitches-penis-horror-injury/ BELGIAN league star Igor Plastun needed stitches in his PENIS after being kneed in the groin by his own teammate. The Gent defender was left doubled up in agony after colliding with keeper Thomas Kaminski as they attempted to deal with a cross. I doubt that our defenders will be too happy...

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-travel-corridors If you arrive in England from Andorra, The Bahamas or Belgium after 4am 8 August you will need to self-isolate. So wouldnt be able to train until the week before the season.

An absolute disgrace and no excuse. Presumably they would have signed off a cheque for unlimited weed killer but for FFP.

Absolutely vile!

Dont know if this is of interest to anyone but it shows the goals for and against with various players playing. Obviously flawed because many players may not have played that many games, but those who play every week will be if anything of less value as they will be average. Stand out for me is Cunningham and how good he is for our defensive record. Nothing we didnt know but would love him back. Lenihan important in that regard too. Brereton bringing in some Kevin Keegan style football at both ends. Sheffield Wednesday despite his mistakes concede much less with Westwood than with Wildsmith and presumably Dawson. Stoke concede plenty and Lindsay doesmt come off well. More solid with Chester in the team.

But you yourself have admitted that Mowbrays system is flawed and indeed seemingly agree. There is always point in signing players more natural to their position. Maybe there is some hope. Mowbray admitted that we wanted Atsu in January and every player linked was a winger. Its a 3 pronged problem. Having Gallagher/Brereton/Samuel etc wide doesnt give us an attacking threat from wide. It means that there is then an over reliance on a full back, either a defensive one in Nyambe or a crap one alltogether in Bell to provide assists, which they cant, but because both full backs are so far forward, it leaves us exposed defensively. Even if they said that directly to you. It would be hollow because ultimately there is no way of proving otherwise and thus such a blaze statement is meaningless. Although I dont believe that stance at all regardless.

They arent all equally to blame because they are players of different abilities. "The way we play under Mowbray" can you please stop saying this. A lot of people dont think that Mowbrays way works 100%. His full backs have never really scored or assisted during his time here and we have always been reliant on central players to get us goals. Graham, Dack, Armstrong when he moved central and Mulgrew. Wide striker potential targets? No thanks. 2 full backs who dont offer much going forward asked to provide the width with strikers on the wings? No thanks. Do you think we should play with 2 attacking full backs (that would need to be signed first because they arent here) and 2 strikers out wide? I suspect another "ive told you before!" answer will greet this question and you will again dodge giving your own opinion and repeat that Mowbray needs attacking full backs as he doesnt play with wingers which we know. Mine is that Nyambe DOES need to improve going forward, but his main priority should be being part of a defence that concedes less, with a natural wide player in front of him providing width rather than another season of Gallagher there. Mulgrew scored 10 goals the season before last and was roundly and deservedly criticised because he couldnt defend anymore so that isnt true. Hard to see anyone taking such a big pay cut. Whether we pretend that we would not be willing to do nothing at work for twice the money or not. Any compromise could come around a 2 year deal, or even a golden handshake fron Wednesday. So he would still get the same money. He didnt until much later than he should have, hence the frustration after the last game of the season and somewhat backed up by no transfer business to date. People are right to point out that our dickhead owners always put us at a disadvantage. Rich Sharpe said "he will check it out" so just from the Sheffield examiner at the moment, and nothing concrete, just an enquiry so doesnt prove much.

Suppose again, it was a case of being able to spread the wage over 2 years rather than 1.

I do struggle to see how we can afford them wages if they are genuinely 30k a week, thats 1.5m that would need making up. Even if you say offered 14k a week plus 200k signing on fee, which would also equate to 1.5m, that would be over a 2 year period rather than 1. If we had to pay a fee on top of that, it seems a real push. The thing is, the Pears article was very similar, and then the rumour just sort of faded away. Wouldnt be surprised if the same happened here.

Monk said he was "a way off" full fitness. I think fans were sceptical if he was actually injured. Mentioned on their forum: https://www.owlstalk.co.uk/forums/topic/291846-westwood-wanted-by-blackburn-despite-his-‘injuries’/ Their fans have a high opinion of him. A lot of discussion about off the field, wages, disputes etc. More than half seem to think he should be number 1 (Wildsmith and Dawson who we were linked with seem to be not up to it) but a few seem to think that people are living in the past and are keen to point out that he made mistakes this season. Mention of his "presence" in goal which is something unfamiliar to a Rovers keeper anytime recently.